Arizona Cardinals 2026 Season Preview: New Coach, Rookie Star Jeremiyah Love, and Quarterback Questions

The Arizona Cardinals enter the 2026 NFL season carrying significant roster turnover, a new coaching staff led by head coach Mike LaFleur, and lingering questions under center following a 3-14 campaign that tied for the worst record in the league, according to franchise reporting.

A New Direction Under Head Coach Mike LaFleur

Following a difficult 2025 season that featured nine consecutive losses and cost former head coach Jonathan Gannon his job, the Cardinals turned to former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to steer the franchise. The team also parted ways with quarterback Kyler Murray, ending his seven-year tenure as the franchise’s former No. 1 overall draft pick. According to previews from Pro Football Focus, LaFleur inherits a club that allowed 37 or more points six times over its final nine games last year, landing the squad with some of the longest odds across the league heading into Week 1.

Quarterback Uncertainty and Contract Talks

For the first time since 2019, Arizona opens training camp without a settled, long-term franchise quarterback. Jacoby Brissett is the presumptive starter after making 12 starts last season in relief of an injured Murray, throwing for 3,366 yards at an average of 240.4 yards per game—both top-10 marks in the NFL, per reporting from RG.org. Brissett is due $1.5 million guaranteed but is seeking a reworked deal, with LaFleur describing ongoing contract discussions as “productive.” Behind Brissett, the Cardinals feature third-round rookie Carson Beck, who logged 1,538 dropbacks across his college career at Georgia and Miami, alongside veteran Gardner Minshew.

Rookie Running Back Jeremiyah Love Headlines Draft Class

The Cardinals invested heavily in their offensive backfield by drafting former Notre Dame standout Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick. Love arrives with the largest guarantee ever given to a rookie running back, coming off a college season where he earned a 93.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, forced 56 missed tackles, and fumbled just once across 433 career carries. He joins a crowded backfield featuring James Conner, Tyler Allgeier, Bam Knight, and Trey Benson. Up front, the offensive line added guard Isaac Seumalo from free agency and rookie tackle Chase Bisontis, anchoring a unit alongside returning left tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

Weapons and Defensive Rebuild

Arizona’s passing game centers around tight end Trey McBride, who set an NFL single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 126 catches in 2025. Wide receiver Michael Wilson surpassed the 1,000-yard mark last year, while Marvin Harrison Jr. enters his third professional season looking to solidify his role as the team’s primary outside target after recording 103 catches, 1,493 yards, and 12 touchdowns combined across his first two injury-shortened years. Defensively, coordinator Nick Rallis returns as the sole holdover from the previous staff. The unit must replace run-stopper Calais Campbell, who left for the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, putting added pressure on edge rusher Josh Sweat—coming off a 12-sack campaign—and young interior liner Walter Nolen III.

The Cardinals face the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL for the 2026 season, per Pro Football Focus data, opening with six of their first nine games on the road. The team travels to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 before hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in their Week 2 home opener.